Easing back into drinking after “dry January” also makes for a pretty solid time to practice your at-home cocktail skills. You can risk a little trial and error now, before spring entertaining season hits. If that’s your plan for February, a great skill to master is the frothy fizz category of cocktails. The Ramos Gin Fizz is the most labor-intensive and best-known among these, but I’d argue the best way to learn to make that cocktail is to master another — the Bourbon Lift.
The Bourbon Lift (a modern classic from the 2010s San Francisco cocktail scene) melds a New York Egg Cream and creamy “Fizz” cocktail with a lift element at the end. You’re using chemistry to create a thick foam that’s damn near a meringue without using an egg. The interaction of the sugars, cream (milk fats), and fizzy water — when applied correctly — creates this super thick egg-cream-esque froth and effervescent body that’s just delightful.
This cocktail is stylish and delicious. The mix of orgeat syrup and its almondy base with a touch of coffee liqueur and good bourbon meld beautifully. Then there’s the lightness that helps this one go down very easily. Sure, it takes a little elbow grease and practice but it’s a million-percent worth it.
Let’s dive in!
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Bourbon Lift
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. bourbon
- 0.5 oz. heavy cream
- 0.5 oz. coffee liqueur
- 0.5 oz. orgeat syrup
- Ice
- Soda water (cold)
Orgeat syrup is going to be the “hardest” ingredient to find. You’ll need to go to a legit liquor store. They’ll have it. But you might not see it at your average grocery store. You will see almond syrup and you can use that in a pinch. But orgeat also has rose and orange water in the mix with the almond — so it’s slightly more refined.
Likewise, any good liquor store will have a variety of coffee liqueurs. Grab something local or, alternately, grab Kahlua.
Lastly, use good bourbon. Even when you’re practicing. Good bourbon helps refine your palate and elevates every cocktail. I’m using Heaven Hill’s beloved Bottled-In-Bond 7-Year. It’s in the $40 range and tastes great in this drink thanks to the subtle spices and nuttiness shining through.
What You’ll Need:
- Highball glass
- Straw
- Jigger
- Cocktail Shaker
- Fine mesh cocktail strainer
Method:
- Add the cream, coffee liqueur, orgeat, and bourbon to a cocktail shaker. Affix the lid and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds.
- Pop the lid and add a large handful of ice. Re-affix the lid and shake again for another 15 seconds until the shaker is very cold and the drink is super frothy.
- Pop the lid and strain the cocktail into the highball glass, making sure to shake out all of the froth from the shaker into the glass.
- Add the soda water by pouring it high above the glass until the froth reaches the glass rim.
- Set the glass aside and let it rest for at least one minute. Gently add another ounce or so of soda water to lift the foam above the rim of the glass.
- Drop in the straw. Serve.
Bottom Line:
The little shot of egg cream they give you at 2nd Ave. Deli in Manhattan after you smash a stacked pastrami sando is one of my favorite things in the world. I’m a huge sucker for egg creams, so this cocktail is my jam. It’s light and effervescent with a deep sense of orange, almond, coffee (more drip coffee than espresso), and bourbon. And yet… it’s not overly heavy or dense.
The foam on the top is dense and beautiful. Just look at it!
It’s the perfect counterpoint to the soft and fizzy drink below. The best part is that as you drink this one, you can stir it and the foam will reform as you sip. It’s a nice little bit of chemistry in the glass.
Overall, these are the skills you need to refine to eventually tackle the big fizzes like the Ramos Gin Fizz. It takes some patience but it’s worth it to amp up those skills and deliver a deliciously light sipper.
